Nostalgia for the Soviet New Year and Its Refraction in the Future: The Neurobiology of Collective Memory The phenomenon of nostalgia for the Soviet New Year is not just a longing for the past, but a complex neurocognitive and sociocultural process. It has a scientific explanation and forms specific trends that will influence the celebration in the future. Neurobiology and Psychology of “Soviet” Nostalgia Nostalgia activates the same brain areas as the reward system (nucleus accumbens) and autobiographical memory (hippocampus, prefrontal cortex). “Soviet New Year” has become a powerful nostalgic construct for several reasons: Primary imprinting period. The main rituals (tree, “Irony of Fate,” Olivier salad, the chimes) were formed in childhood and adolescence for several generations. Emotional coloring of childhood memories is stronger and they are fixed as the “golden standard” of the holiday. The neuroplasticity of the child's brain consolidates these patterns as “correct”. Effect of an island of stability. In the conditions of scarcity and social instability in late USSR, New Year was a strictly regulated, predictable, and guaranteed island of abundance. Oranges, “Soviet champagne,” sausage, “Red Riding Hood” — these symbols were anchors of security. The brain craves this predictability in the unstable present. Collective, not individualistic scenario. The holiday was almost universal for the entire vast country. Watching the same TV shows (“Blue Spark,” “Irony of Fate,” the New Year's “Blue Fire”), using the same attributes created a powerful sense of community, shared experience. In the era of media fragmentation and individualization, this lost collectivity is perceived as a value. Key artifacts as carriers of the nostalgic code Analysis of nostalgic objects shows their utilitarian and symbolic transformation: Salad “Olivier”. Then: Scarce ingredients (Doktor's sausage, green peas “Bolognese”) as a symbol of overcoming. Standardized recipe (from the 1939 cookb ... Read more